in the diocese
The Valley Catholic
Teaching justice
practicing Restorative Justice in 21st century schools
By Joanna Thurmann
What does it feel like to be the target
of an “I hate you, teacher” video on YouTube, and how does this impact your life
personally and professionally? What
does it feel like to be the knife-wielding
teenager who created it, and what may
have prompted this hatred? What can
be done to restore justice and promote
healing among the parties involved?
A recent workshop on “Teaching Justice and Practicing Restorative Justice in
21st Century Schools” gave some clues.
Participants engaged in a simulation of
how a school might deal with a conflict
over student use of social media.
Working in pairs, attendees roleplayed either party. The simulation was
based on real video footage and disclosed the reason behind the student’s
outrage. He had overheard a negative
and defaming conversation about himself in the teacher’s lounge.
Panelists from Santa Clara University
and the Diocese of San Jose’s Restorative
Justice Committee used the exercise to
introduce the Restorative Justice approach and to teach the virtue of justice
in a 21st century context.
Father Michael Carson from Restorative Justice ministry for the Diocese of
San Jose set the stage from a theological
perspective, starting with an image of
God. Do we see God as punisher with
a lightning bolt, a reckoning IRS agent,
or a close friend who listens to us on a
park bench?
The first questions asked are “what
crime was committed, who committed
the crime and how can the guilty be
punished,” Father Carson said. This
also happens in real life and in the
classroom. But in Restorative Justice,
the questions are “what are the relationships involved, and how can they
be healed?”
Focus of punishment is retribution,
condemnation, sentencing and suspensions. It is perpetrator-centered. “And
punishment often rebounds,” said Steve
Johnson, Director of Character Education
at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. “The crime
escalates. Punishment works too well
immediately and too poorly long-term.”
Instead, Restorative Justice is community-centered and focuses on communication, problem solving, healing
and transformation. It involves the
victim and the perpetrator in shared
authority.
“If we punish simply for the sake
of punishing, there is no healing involved,” said Father Carson. “We don’t
believe God as a punisher. We believe
in a kind, comp